On October 4th, the city of Toronto has transformed into a playground, a social meeting place, a pool of contemporary art and performances. Scotia Bank marks Nuit Blanche's annual invasion of the city, brighten a city which otherwise would have suffered another usual boring night and bringing sleeplessness into the souls of Torontonians. My friends and I were were such souls. Having a map of our Zone A, and yet somehow still managed to get lost, Nuit Blanche has provided us with a night of intense, enjoyable, educational and unforgettable experience.
I must admit though, my perspective on the night is singular, as opposed to those who came to visit Nuit Blanche. While hundreds of thousands of Torontonians have come to observe the art projects displayed, I have come with a different purpose: to observe them. On an ordinary Saturday night in Toronto, Torontonians would go about their daily routines and habits. They may include weekly family reunions, a night in front of the television, a poker night, and the list goes on. Nuit Blanche is quite a special event, as it introduced a new factor into the daily lives of Torontonians. This factor, in other words, serves as a break, a pause in the routines of the citizens of Toronto. During this night, a large number of the population is given the chance to experience something that only occurs once annually, an opportunity to do something different for a change. The observations I have made reflects the rare behavior change in the population, as well as my own.
An important concept stated in the “Metropolis and the Mental Life” is that in our current way of life, there is an intensification of the nervous system. Those living the metropolitan life have a heightened sense, since the Metropolis is essentially a large battleground, where all subjects in it (population) live by the “Survival of the fittest” philosophy. This way of thinking is triggered by the need for currency, the need for money, which is the factor that dominates the Metropolis. During Nuit Blanche, I have noticed the same heightened senses. Keep in mind these senses are not triggered by money and currency this time, but by the art events. The visitors to the night have heightened their senses to look around the city, to find and explore art events. Notice the picture below, of a homeless man in a brightly lit and crowded area.
Now, notice the next photograph of a young girl taking a picture of garbage.
The heightened senses allow them to find art displays, even in liters. The reason why no one pays attention to the homeless man is because their senses are tuned to art finding. A homeless man is something they see every day, hence, is blocked out by their senses. This is an example of how Nuit Blanche allows the mind to take a break from regular life.
Moving on, the Nuit Blanche event introduces a new type of stimulation into the lives of event goers, that of mobility. According to “the growth of the city”, mobility involves change, new experiences, new stimulus into the person. In an ordinary circumstance, say on a usual Saturday night, a sports fanatic would spend his/her time at home watching sports on television, every Saturday of every week. This does not give the person new experiences, new stimulus to the mind. Essentially, the mobility dies. During Nuit Blanche, event goers are given the chance to go on an adventure, visit art events that are new to them. I myself got lost, even with a map in hand. This stimulates my mind, allows me to gain new experiences and brings be a change in my regular life. The pulse of the community, which is based upon the mobility of the population, has quickened, as mobility rises. This effect not only is healthy for people, it gives them an opportunity to exercise their minds, as opposed to repetition of weekly activities.
Furthermore, the same change can be observed on a city-wide scale. A city on an ordinary day comprises of our daily activities. It comprises of our work offices, allowing us to go to work. It comprises of school, allowing kids to go to school. It comprises of community centers and gyms, allowing us to work out, and so on. What it lacks is the social drama, which occurs when a community of people intensifies. Scotia Bank, in recreating Nuit Blanche, brought that essence of social drama. On that unique night, roads were closed, stores extended opening hours, art projects were devised, amassing hundreds of thousands of people all around the Greater Toronto Area, into an immense art community. I recall at the Ontario College of Art and Design, it was so crowded that I nearly was separated from my group of friends. Everyone who was there was locked to one another, due to the immense number of visitors who showed up. On an ordinary day at OCAD, it would be much less populated. Nuit Blanche emits that social drama that is deeply needed to pull Torontonians out of their routine mindsets.
One last discovery that I find has an immense importance is the use of this event as a way to regenerate, rejuvenate the city. We are currently in a political and economical turmoil. It is without a doubt that citizens must feel unsettled when faced with this turmoil. Nuit Blanche, in my opinion, has served as a way to get the population’s mind off of heavy topics, such as politics and the down-going economy. Torontonians who have visited Nuit Blanche will be preoccupied by the wonderful performances and art projects that were displayed, too much so to be thinking about heavy topics. Furthermore, as Toronto is in a decline with the economy, by opening up art displays and spaces, it rejuvenates the decaying city, regenerating it and restimulating it, attracting visitors not only from Toronto, but from all over Canada. I saw license plates of parked cars belonging to Quebeckers and New Yorkers, which I unfortunately missed the chance of taking a photo. This is also a chance to stimulate the tourism industry within Toronto.
Overall, despite being separated from friends, and getting lost quite a few times, it was a wonderful experience and I thought Nuit Blanche was quite a success. I regret not being able to remain for longer and to be able to vist Zone B and Zone C, and to fully appreciate this event not as an observer, but as an audience of Nuit Blanche, due to my work schedule the following day, I am nonetheless very proud to part take in this once a year art event. I will have to wait until next year for its return, so I can fully visit all three zones.
Pictures and videos were taken by me.
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